Animals
whale noun everyday
- bplaa mid
- waan mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
Classifier: ตัวdtua · counting word for animals, clothes, tables and chairs
whale (the standard name) noun
- waan mid
- Mid: level, in your normal speaking voice.
How to use it
Most Thais say ปลาวาฬbplaa-waan, "whale fish", although a whale is no fish. The news, documentaries and the names of species drop the ปลาbplaa and say วาฬwaan, the way most people now say โลมาloo-maa for a dolphin. The last letter, ฬlaw, is read as n, so it sounds like waan. Bryde's whales feed in the upper Gulf of Thailand, close enough to Bangkok for whale-watching day trips.
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- pla wan
- plaa waan
- pla waan
- plawan
More animals in Thai
All animals
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones